Early Review: Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop (The Others #2)

Murder of Crows (The Others #2)
Anne Bishop
Published: March 4, 2014 (Roc)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference events in the first book, Written in Red.

Things between the Others and humans have been tense since the storm that rocked Lakeside. Meg was attacked and almost taken back to the cassandra sangue compound and Sam was almost kidnapped. Meg’s been feeling the urge to cut more and more, with a prickling sensation beneath her skin. One night a dream of blood and black feathers wakes her, but she doesn’t know if it was just a dream of the past or a prophecy of the future. When Crows from another city/courtyard are attacked and killed, Lakeside knows that things are just starting to get bad. If things don’t get better there may be a “disappearance” the likes of which hasn’t been seen in years.

The uneasiness between the Others and humans is not new, it’s something that has been brewing for hundreds of years. The Humans First and Last movement is gaining momentum and we haven’t seen the last of this uprising. What seemed to be a simmer in Written in Red has now become a burn with the emergence of two new drugs on the market that can cause extreme violence in both Others and humans. This tension is definitely something that will be specifically dealt with in the series, but it took a backseat to us finding out more about the cassandra sangue.

In Written in Red we were introduced to this whole new world created by Anne Bishop and much of that was Meg learning how to live amongst the terre indigene. She’s since become embraced and protected by the various Others and now the attention is turned to what Meg is. With her need to cut being the problem, since every cut ultimately brings her closer to death but without cutting she can ultimately go mad. Of course Simon fears the most for Meg, but he’s not above using her prophecy if in dire need.

The relationship growing between Meg and Simon is a main focus in Murder of Crows. It’s so interesting to read about two people who have no idea what is truly going on between them (not being able to put a name to it), but to watch it happen anyway. It can sometimes be easy to forget that Simon is a Wolf first and foremost and just takes human shape to make humans more comfortable. He doesn’t think with a human brain, but a Wolf brain. This is something that he wants to work on, but he’s warned not to be too human so I’m interested to see how this is further dealt with.

On the other side Meg grew up in a compound where her only learning of the outside world was through videos and pictures. She doesn’t truly understand some feelings yet, but she knows that she enjoys spending time with Simon and misses him when he’s gone.

Bishop does a great job of engaging the reader by making Meg’s prophecies like a puzzle to be pieced together and figured out. I found Murder of Crows to be just as engaging as its predecessor and doesn’t disappoint. The subtle mix between Meg finding her life amongst the Others and the broiling tensions waiting to explode on the outside keeps me coming back for more. I can’t wait to see where the series goes next!

Sexual content: references to sex